Quality soil management in Illinois using winter cover crops.

摘要

The use of winter cover crops (WCC) provides long term benefits that are generally overlooked. There is a particular lack of information regarding the effects of WCC on soil productivity. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of different crop rotations on several soil physical and chemical properties. Three crop sequences including WCC were compared with winter fallowing (control) in a corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotation under no-tillage. The experimental design was a split split-plot where whole-plot treatments (sampling period and year) had a latin square design and sub-plot treatments (crop sequences) were arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Soil chemical properties included soil organic matter (SOM), pH, total nitrogen (TN), nitrates (NO3-N), and available phosphorus (P). Soil physical properties analyzed were water aggregate stability (WAS), bulk density (BD), penetration resistance (PR), total porosity (TP), pore size distribution, water retention properties, and saturated hydraulic conductivity (K sat). Compared to winter fallow, crop sequences that included WCC provided substantial benefits from the soil productivity standpoint. In particular, the inclusion of the biculture of vetch + rye as WCC in no-till corn-soybean rotation was the best option in improving soil properties.